You Shouldn't Be Here
by Furious Dee
Summary: What happens when two damaged souls collide amidst extraordinary surroundings? Jack and Ianto's story - their relationship from the start, and how I think it developed. Spoilers for everything. Rated a high T for slash, rising to M.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

The beginnings. Set during Small Worlds.

_Disclaimer: I do not own Torchwood. Sigh._

* * *

"You shouldn't be here."

Ianto turned, not too quickly, to face his employer, file firmly in hand as a prop - some kind of theatrical proof that he was there for a reason.

A glimpse of a smile flickered past his lips when he replied "neither should you", and hurriedly stepped away from the awkward bubble that had begun to follow the two of them, smothering him if they talked for too long, too deeply.

He sat at the station he had been monitoring, the little meteorological oddities around Cardiff glowing red against a blue map. A strong, tender hand landed upon the back of his shoulder, flexing ever so slightly as Jack sighed above him. Ianto turned quickly, but he had no intention of shrugging Jack away. His flesh had automatically tensed, but apparently the Captain either hadn't felt it, or was ignoring it.

"What've you got?" he asked, not removing that hand. Ianto mirrored his sigh and stood up.

"Funny sort of weather patterns" he said, turning to Jack's troubled middling stare. That hand slid away, lightly brushing the gently flared bottom hem of Ianto's pristine blazer, before tucking back into deep grey slacks.

Jack turned away from him and spun on his heel, stepping down away from both Ianto and the direction of his office, and instead towards the waterfall obelisk - the glorious eyesore that was the centrepoint of their lair.

"Sir" Ianto began, taking one step closer but not daring any more. Jack stopped, and pivoted again, flashing a meaningless 'I'm listening' smile.

"Why… why didn't you just Retcon me?"

Jack sighed and allowed his head to loll heavily on his aching neck. It wasn't as if he hadn't thought of it. To get him out of Torchwood, away from the people he deceived, remove him as a threat to their operation - but mostly, despite himself, to rid the tortured boy of his pain. Broad Welsh shoulders are no match for that level of emotion in one so sensitive and so young.

"You want the honest answer? I don't know. And I hope you realise it's unlike me to take this kind of risk" Jack said sternly, staring Ianto down from beneath a severe brow, strolling slowly back towards him. Ianto nodded sheepishly, like a child being reminded of lesson hard learnt.

"Perhaps I should have. God knows you'd be better off. But you know what? You fought for this job. I don't know if the sole reason you stalked me was to get Lisa fixed, and I don't want to know. The test was whether you'd come back. If you hadn't, I probably would have found you and Retcon'd you, yeah. But you wanted to be here, and you're as messed up as the rest of us; perhaps moreso. You fit right in, at last."

Ianto knew he shouldn't smile, but he did. Just briefly, weakly, but it was there. A sense of belonging, and a renewed affection towards the Captain made him forget, for a while; the mention of his girlfriend's name, of the whole affair… of the way he acted that day. Desperation makes a man do strange things… and he did all of them in the space of a few hours, including nearly shooting his colleagues, his boss, and labelling Jack a monster. He was ashamed, and he was grateful that the whole team knew it.

He consciously straightened himself when Jack stepped up to face him eye to eye, as ever seeming more imposing despite the fact that they were the same height.

"Ianto, I can't apologise for what I- what we did to her. You know that."

"I can't apologise for trying to save her" Ianto replied, his voice a little hoarse, making Jack's chest tighten slightly.

"You shouldn't have to."

So Jack _did _understand. Ianto matched his stare and he saw loss in the Captain's stormy eyes; many lost loves, battle scars and unhealable wounds. This man was slowly starting to open up to him, in his way. Since the end of his suspension they had talked haltingly; not of Lisa and that day, but of Ianto's life whenever they had a few spare and silent few minutes. The things that couldn't be brought onto the screen in a matter of seconds, feelings that went beyond personal files. It was a sort of subtle therapy, Ianto supposed, passed off originally as a guilt that piqued his own sense of resentment - but not for long. Eventually he realised that Jack… cared.

"Thanks, Jack" he croaked, lowering his gaze to the general vicinity of Jack's top button.

"Hey, loving the informality and all that but I kinda liked the 'Sir' thing, too… maybe keep it for special occasions when I need a pick-me-up?"

Ianto met his eyes once more and the dazzlingly white Harkness grin was back, brightening up the dimly lit hub. He couldn't decide whether the glossy, flirtatious, all-American hero Jack was entirely a façade, carefully placed to mask several lifetimes of pain, or whether that _was_ once the real him, and he fought to reclaim it every minute of the day. The Captain reached out and firmly squeezed Ianto's upper arm, releasing him from his stupor and bring a carefree smile to his lips - which, amazingly, he didn't have to force too hard.

"Of course. Let me know when you're needing an ego-boost."

Jack laughed. "Oooh I can't imagine a time when I'm short on ego!"

"Neither can I actually, that was a truly ridiculous statement" Ianto teased, his smile unconsciously broadening.

"Wow, Welsh kitty has claws! You wound me, Ianto Jones…"

Jack clasped a hand to his chest and pouted, earning a raised eyebrow and a melodic laugh that surprised them both. The Captain smiled affectionately at his young employee, murmuring "it's good to hear that sound, Ianto. A smile really suits you."

"Thank you, Si… Jack."

Jack casually circled him until he was standing with his chest to Ianto's back, a hand back on one arm, resting lightly so as not to spook him. Ianto stood perfectly still, inexplicably feeling the need to take a very deep breath.

"If you ever need to talk, you know where I am" Jack murmured, closer to his ear than Ianto realised he was.

"What about if _you _need to talk?" came the soft reply, a shy desire to repay the kindness his Captain had every right not to show him. He swivelled his gaze to find Jack staring at him with a distinct curiosity, as if nobody had ever made that kind of offer before.

"Well… I'll be in the same place, won't I?" he said with a little shake of his head and an incredulous smile.

"Good… well… maybe we can talk sometime, then." Ianto shifted a little uncomfortably, Jack's warm hand still wrapped firmly around his arm before it finally loosened, slid upwards and gently patted the back of Ianto's neck.

"You're a good man Ianto Jones, and lord knows we need more of those in this world" Jack said with an air of world-weary sadness, before he stepped deftly to the right and strode back to his office.

"Would you… like some coffee, Jack?" Ianto called after him, watching him sweep through the hub.

"That would be perfection, thank you" the Captain replied without turning or even stopping, disappearing into the gloom of his office and uncharacteristically leaving the door open.

Ianto simply stared for a few moments, able to see through the glass walls Jack fall heavily into his chair and fold his arms behind his head, lost in thought as he so often was. He could hold the deepest, most intellectually challenging conversation with a person and one still knew he was mentally off on different planets.

* * *

Ianto knocked on the open door; creature of habit and all that.

"You are a very finely tailored angel" Jack smiled, welcoming the steaming cup with both hands.

"I don't know how you do it Ianto, but you're a coffee wizard."

"I try my best" Ianto replied, with a genial smile.

"Feel free to pull one up" Jack indicated towards a stray chair, one of which Ianto slid towards the desk and sat upon, not feeling quite relaxed enough to recline.

"Jack?"

"Ianto."

"Is it really better to have loved and lost?"

Jack stared over the rim of his porcelain cup; Ianto's impassive expression suggested he'd just asked something as mundane as what the time was or who won last night's match.

"Now… why ask me?" he enquired, leaning back from the desk a little, as if that gave him more room to build up an extra barrier.

"Because… you must have done so more than once, I assume. And given recent events… I'm not so sure that particular worn-out proverb is always true."

"Nothing is always true" Jack replied, a sip of his powerful brew making his eyelashes flicker with pleasure.

"So…"

"So, yes, you're right, I have loved and lost. And… I have wondered what the point is. But you can't control it… if you fall in love, you fall in love, and it doesn't matter who with if you're happy. If you're unfortunate enough to lose that person, your focus should be on the good times you shared, and the hope of finding another happiness in the future."

"You truly believe that?"

"I have to. There's no choice for me."

Ianto frowned, but chose not to enquire further on that particular line of thought.

"I find it hard to imagine falling in love again" Ianto murmured, gazing at anything other than Jack's attentive face. "Or even wanting to."

"Ianto, I have to ask… did you actually _love_ Lisa at the end? The way you acted, that day… it was out of desperation, wasn't it? Desperation born of turning her back into the girl you loved, which she wasn't any more. You were clinging to her ghost. She died the moment the original conversion began… I think you know that."

Ianto's teeth were pressed painfully tight together as he fought the urge to spit some unnecessary retort. He forcibly reminded himself that Jack was trying to help… and what's more, he was right.

"I _tried_ to love her… what she had become" he whispered. "I wanted her back."

Jack drained his cup and sighed, wishing Ianto was close enough for him to take both of his hands in his and kiss the palms; anything to soothe him, to show a little affection to a man who thought he had nothing left.

Jack found himself wanting to ask a dangerous question that he just couldn't stop himself from vocalising;

"Do you still want her back?"

Ianto's eyes snapped up at him, glistening with an anger than seemed to wane again almost immediately, and the shame set in once more.

"I don't know what I want. Everything is… hollow. There is no meaning."

Jack leaned across the desk and stared Ianto square in the face, his jaw set firm.

"You have your whole life ahead of you, y'know? Look… all I can offer you is a place in my team. You have acceptance, forgiveness, and friendship here. It probably doesn't seem like it at times, I'm aware of that… but it's true."

Ianto gazed disbelievingly at him, his boyish little mouth turned downwards at the corners. He looked… small, and damaged. Jack got up - to hell with barriers - and tugged Ianto onto his feet to hold him in a fiercely affectionate embrace. Hesitantly, Ianto placed his hands upon Jack's spine, and sagged into the hug, releasing a couple of tons of pressure as he sighed. Being held again felt so bloody good… it had been too long.

Jack squeezed tight and then broke away from him, slowly enough for Ianto to remember he had to hold up his own weight, and he clasped the young man's startled face between his hands.

"Listen to me… I'll do anything I can to help you when you need me. It's my job, and as I said… you're a good man. But you have to promise to help yourself too, do you understand? You have to want to be happy, and it sounds like the simplest thing in the world, but trust me, it doesn't necessarily happen that way - it takes work. So, do we have a deal?" he painted on his most hopeful smile and waited for Ianto's seemingly perpetual frown to melt away.

Ianto blinked a few times before nodding dumbly, not entirely sure what he was agreeing to. It seemed to satisfy Jack at least, who pressed his forehead to Ianto's before planting a single feather-light kiss to his lips, one that caused as much chaos in his own gut as in the Welshman's - so much so that he had to step away and attempt to wipe the startled-deer look from his face.

Ianto's blank expression remained before finally breaking into a truly beautiful smile; one of gratefulness and comfort.

"Now that _is_ harassment" he said, and Jack helplessly laughed.

"I didn't see you fighting me off! Now go home before I do a lot worse to you. You've got me frisky now" he chuckled, shrugging it off as a joke.

Ianto sighed just one more time and plunged his hands into his pockets, offering Jack a smiling nod as he left. Jack's own smile melted away, watching Ianto cross the hub at his own pace, collect a few small things, and leave. He wished he knew a better way of comforting Ianto. He ached for the tortured child, and as Ianto stepped into the chill midnight air and smelt the sea, he ached for his Captain in turn; knowing, at least, that they would talk again soon.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

A slightly higher warning for this one. Minor smut.

Set after Countrycide.

_Disclaimer: I do not own Torchwood. If I did, Ianto would still be alive, damn it._

* * *

Ianto sat perched just within the boot of the SUV, lacking the strength to even wish he could force his body into numbness. Flesh and mind, cold and dark, like he had felt before. But instead there was pain, searing physical pain and a gaping scar across his mind that he couldn't even attempt to patch, just yet.

The police, criminals, and his battered friends moved around him as he stared on, gaze completely detached from seeing them fully; he could only sense the sounds, the crying and angry words, the soft concerned ones between Jack and Owen. Ianto realised that was where his eyes had strayed, and he only heard murmurings between the two. He heard his name, Gwen's, Tosh's, then his again, before a broad grey-blue shape strode towards him.

Jack tentatively touched Ianto's shoulder, not fully aware of the extent of his injuries.

"Hey" he smiled, an expression that belied his own exhaustion, "time to go home."

Silence reigned in the SUV. They sense that _they_ had been inside this vehicle left only an unpleasant aftertaste in the car, a sensation of every surface being coated in a thin layer of grime. Yet compared to what they had been through, the drive back to the Hub was a magical mystery tour.

"Ianto? Come on, we're back."

Ianto lifted his aching head and found his Captain smiling down at him from the open passenger door. He also realised he was the only one left in the car.

"Where are the others?" he asked, barely audible.

"Home. Gwen is being looked after by Rhys. Owen and Tosh opted to go back to their apartments. None of us wanted to wake you and I figured you might not want to be alone, so…"

He shrugged helplessly, half indicating towards the Hub. Jack made the right choice - the last thing Ianto wanted to do was go back to his flat and lie sleepless in the lonely darkness, his heart racing at every minute sound, his restless brain forcing him to relive the sights and stenches.

He remained slumped and motionless so Jack took that as a barely conscious man's affirmation, reached over to unbuckle his seat belt, and carefully helped the young man slide from his seat and onto hard, trustworthy tarmac. Not a blade of grass in sight.

Ianto hissed, his eyes retreating behind scrunched lids.

"You really are going to have to keep still for this" Jack said, attempting a sterner intonation despite knowing that his smirk shone through. The ice cubes bundled within chequered cloth were beginning to drip onto his knee, and he pressed the frozen package to Ianto's purple-blossomed cheekbone once more.

Ianto did his best to glare, failing miserably. He had begun to feel calm once more; the obscure normalcy of his boss's office coupled with Jack's seemingly relentless need to fuss over him soothed his screaming soul.

"Jack?" he muttered, his voice returning to normal also, though he could still taste the filthy copper tang that stained the rag which had left the corners of his mouth sore, and a flavour that no amount of scotch was washing away.

"Ianto" Jack replied. So many of their recent conversations had begun this way, over the weeks. Shy enquiries evolving into soul-searching talks that Jack could only watch unfold and attempt to reply to with experience. He wasn't sure what he had done to deserve such trust, but it warmed him at night when the ghosts came to play.

Since the evening when he had found Ianto still working way into the night, their conversations had become more frequent, longer, and they even began to laugh together, occasionally. Jack wasn't sure what it was about being in the Beacons which made Ianto take a step back, but the comment about his last kiss being Lisa disappointed him - and he knew that Ianto saw it. Besides the fact that it was an unnecessary addition to the proceedings and sullied the mood entirely, it wasn't strictly true…

He took the ice away and gazed at Ianto, watching him gather his thoughts the way he undoubtedly chose his clothes in the morning - mentally considering what went where and how it fitted together, before allowing the finished product to be revealed.

"When Tosh and I were in the cellar… she said that all of this was worth it, to protect people. And I asked… who protects us?"

Jack nodded, before he realised that was the end of the sentence.

"Isn't it obvious?" he said, doing that little incredulous head-shake as if it was the most ridiculous question ever asked. "We protect _each other_. Yeah, we protect everybody else too, but this scrappy little group we've got going on? We're a team, and we come first. You think I'd have stolen a _tractor_ and shot every one of those bastards if I didn't care about you all more than anything else? It took all my restraint not to blow all of their sick brains out…"

Jack ground his teeth together, remembering their rotten grins, the terror on the faces of his friends - and Ianto through it all, beaten, broken, tied and bound. The personal outrage was overwhelming when he let rip with a roar, firing at shoulders and knees instead of bursting their vile heads like melons. His scowl softened at the memory of something Tosh had said in the car, when Ianto was suffering the fitful embrace of traumatised sleep - Ianto had saved her, created a diversion while she ran… and the boy was punished with a gun-butt to the skull and a promise that he would be the first to be bled.

He broke into a sudden smile, meeting Ianto's startled eyes.

"And you, Ianto Jones, I believe you too put yourself a risk to save a colleague today! You're a hero. We'll have to officially make you a field agent."

Jack wasn't entirely prepared for Ianto's tense expression to collapse in a whimpering stream of tears. He stood dumbly staring for a moment, the young man visibly crumbling upon the edge of his desk, looking as if he was simply going to tumble forward and fall face-down onto the floor - until Jack caught him against his chest and held on.

Ianto sobbed like a child, not even knowing why. Catharsis, he supposed. A mixture of abject horror and the kindest words he had unknowingly been longing for, plus being cared for. He lacked the strength to wrap his arms around Jack's hips, as much as he ached for the extra contact. His Captain standing above him made him feel young and small, entirely protected, which in this situation, he couldn't find embarrassing.

Ten or fifteen minutes passed before he rubbed his face against wet blue cotton one last time and pulled away. He grimaced at the sight of the wet patch stretched across Jack's middle like and blinked up apologetically, his flushed face seeming so innocent that Jack wanted to pull him back. He smirked.

"Had much worse on my clothes. Welsh snot is nothing'" he said, causing a glimpse of a smile to grace Ianto's face.

"I'll have it dry cleaned for you, sir" Ianto mumbled, slipping off the desk and onto his feet, expecting Jack to step back and give him some room. He didn't. Instead, they found themselves almost nose-to-nose and sharing a breath; just another inch or two and they would have been pressed together entirely.

Ianto, despite all his natural awkwardness, found himself frozen where he stood and wanting the calm of Jack's eyes, though they were too close to focus on fully. He wanted to hold both of the Captain's hands, nuzzle back into his neck, and just stay for as long as he needed to in a company of a comfort source. He told himself he would have felt the same about whoever was here.

Jack took in a wavering breath before whispering;

"Gwen asked me if I ever get scared."

Ianto audibly swallowed, catching the scent of those 51st century pheromones.

"And?"

"I was absolutely terrified of what I would find in that house. I don't fear for my life… but for the lives of those closest to me, yeah, I get scared."

Jack risked pressing the tip of his nose to Ianto's, before their foreheads came together, and both felt the heavy embrace of exhaustion attempt to knock them down.

"I was afraid of dying" Ianto sighed, his desire to stay conscious wilting with his body. Jack tasted the fear in his words, the strength it took to say it, and the strange realisation behind the statement.

"Perhaps I do want to live, after all" Ianto breathed, and Jack immediately closed the gap between their lips.

The kiss lasted two seconds, no more. A stopwatch couldn't have been more accurate.

"If you ever doubt the value of your life again, I'll kill you" Jack growled, and Ianto couldn't bring himself to laugh.

* * *

Ianto whimpered softly as Jack peeled away his previously white (now a filthy streaked beige) shirt, and began to tug the hem of the t-shirt beneath up over his hips.

"Lift your arms… this will probably hurt" he warned, and Ianto obliged until the chill air of Jack's bunker puckered his flesh and he dropped them once more. Jack's hand warily lingered close to Ianto's belt buckle, but a hoarse murmur of "I'll do it" stopped him, and he stepped away, slipping down his braces and undressing himself in turn.

Ianto didn't watch him as he let his own jeans fall. His mind was finally blank as he had wished; blank with exhaustion and the power a little affection can bring. But it was not the cold, numb kind he was acquainted with. No, he was warm, cocooned within himself whilst feeling able to emerge if need be.

Jack's bed looked surprisingly small, compact, soft - precisely what he needed, and with another body to lie next to. The Captain was out of his clothes in seconds, and under the covers before Ianto was sure whether he was wearing anything at all. With all his defences down, he didn't much care, though his own boxers stayed on. He was probably too modest for his own good.

"You want me to hold you?" Jack asked in his softest, most non-threatening voice, the boy looking lost as he hovered next to the mattress with his hands loosely knotted in front of his crotch, purple marks blossoming all over his young flesh. He almost added 'I don't bite', but it didn't seem appropriate. _Jack, you soft old ass… since when did that stop you?_

Ianto thought for a moment, unnecessarily since he knew what the answer would be immediately, then nodded just once. Jack pushed himself up a little and Ianto slid in, faced away and coiled up as small as possible. Jack frowned, before realising that Ianto wanted to curl up behind him. Was he insecure about this? Or did he just want to feel protected?

Ianto felt the calming warmth of smooth skin press against his spine, and one arm lazily snaked around his waist. Jack's breath skimmed over his nape.

"Goodnight sir" he mumbled, as his overwhelming tiredness gripped hold of his mind and suffocated it.

"Night Ianto" Jack whispered back, pondering the novelty of having armfuls of mostly-naked man and wanting nothing more than to keep him safe for a few dark hours.

Jack held him all night, through the restless wriggling and mumbled strings of nonsensical words. He adjusted his own body accordingly, watching Ianto's soft young face contort and relax again as his dreams caught him in their grip and released. That he could sleep at all was a good sign, Jack mused.

He himself settled into a light doze, one where he remained aware and alert, but relaxed enough to recharge as humans do. The boy continued to shift in his arms, and Jack found the most peace when Ianto's breath was whispering steadily across his cheek. He turned his own head slightly, eventually, to catch that warm breeze against his own mouth. To his contented delight, Ianto's unconscious body chose to remain in that position for the remainder of the night.

* * *

He ached, GOD how he ached… light filtered red through Ianto's eyelids and he winced from it, realising that his flesh and bones thrummed with a dull pain that made him wonder if he would simply shatter.

Jack was staring at him - he had felt the muscles twitch, seen the caged movements of the eyeballs increase, the mind waking slowly. He knew the flinching would come. Ianto was still black and blue all over; sadly that hadn't changed overnight.

The Captain had spent the last hour or so, fresh from his own variation on sleep, doing little other than focussing his thoughts solely on the young man in his arms. His scarred yet strangely brilliant mind, his distinctly British wit, his pain, which in some ways he seemed to cling to for fear of whatever else there might be in his own mind… and, almost as an afterthought Jack realised with surprise, his looks. Ianto had an extraordinary face. Such high cheekbones, downturned childlike mouth and brilliant sky-blue eyes. It seemed fitting, a look of naivety tinged with tragedy. He was a beautiful puzzle of a man.

Ianto finally gave up the fight and opened his eyes, seeing only the blurred colour of flesh until he blinked the sleep away from his eyes, and found Jack's face. Warm, comforting Jack. Jack who held him all night, just him. Ianto smiled a small but dazzling smiled, forcing Jack to claw at his own composure.

But then the memories returned. The horrors of what he had seen and felt, his own constant sense of loss that lay beneath the surface, the throb of it letting him know he was alive. Shadows returned behind his eyes and the smile waned. He was still staring at Jack, unknowingly pleading - and Jack answered with a kiss like the one last night. Soft, brief, chaste, protective.

"Hey."

"Morning."

"You know, you should really spend a little time in that warm bubble between sleep and awake."

"Hmm?"

"The place where you're not sure whether the world exists at all and you don't really care. You know what I mean, I just saw it in your face."

Ianto stared out into space for a moment, remembering how it felt just then, his emotions at seeing Jack and being unaware of anything else. It was good.

"Show me how" he whispered, blinking slowly before his eyes swivelled back to Jack. He looked afraid.

Jack hesitated for less than a second before gently rolling Ianto onto his back and hovering above him. Ianto's eyes widened but he didn't argue, especially since Jack's fingers were too quick for him. They touched either side of his head, pressing gently at the temples, and rubbed there in slow, small circles.

"Close your eyes" Jack whispered, "don't think about anything at all."

Ianto accepted the darkness and the touch willingly, but switching off his mind would take more. Jack's breath was very close to his face, and then he was kissing Ianto's eyelids, as if trying to remove the grey smudges. A kiss strayed to his left cheek.

"Jack…"

"Shhh."

The movements of Jack's fingertips were ceaselessly steady, and Ianto felt his thoughts beginning to melt, drifting into the recesses like sand in water. He wanted to panic, but he couldn't bring himself to. A kiss found his lips yet again, and stayed for longer. Ianto found himself responding this time, just a single languid caress of Jack's sweet mouth that almost unwittingly offered permission.

This was the only kind of comfort Jack knew how to give. He was a great deal better with words than he would ever admit to himself, but physical intimacy was his speciality. He could be taking advantage of the situation… but he'd taken advantage of Ianto quite enough lately. This was different. It was care. And it was making him feel impossibly good to know that it helped.

His fingers stopped their circling. One hand ran through Ianto's short waves and the other slid down over his throat, stopping at the collar bone. Ianto was still returning the kiss at his own pace, but his thoughts hadn't quite been replaced by silence; the fluttering in his stomach, almost nauseating, that was what reigned now. He could almost hear his own nerves singing out, nerves that leaned more towards excitement than fear. All he could hear was the gentle caress of their lips meeting again and again and the occasional shuffle of cotton against skin.

Jack's palm slid over his belly, caressing it, revelling in the sprinkling of soft hair that trailed downwards, and Ianto arched to him. He didn't want any questions, he didn't want to have to think, and he didn't want to pause to worry about this situation. He wanted to be cared for, just for now, for somebody to show him a little pleasure and allow these endorphins to flow for as long as possible.

Jack couldn't help but read the complete lack of resistance as submission. The ultimate test was… his fingers found it, through brushed cotton, and Ianto hissed into his mouth. The Welshman's cock strained against his fingers and Jack wasted no time in cradling it against the heel of his hand, his thumb running a few firm, lazy circles around the tip.

Ianto was lost, in that bubble the Captain spoke of. His waistband was being tugged gently down, and the reality of skin on pulsing skin was almost too much to bear. He felt everything at once, chaotic and calm… pleasure and pain. Jack's tongue finally breached his mouth, and as it stroked Ianto's in rhythm with his own hand, Ianto couldn't pretend to care when he came across Jack's wrist within two minutes, a fractured growl reverberating throughout his taut frame.

Once he was melted back into the mattress, Jack gently removed his hand and his tongue, and smiled into Ianto's flushed, startled face.

"Now, that wasn't so bad" he murmured, a statement rather than a question. To his surprise Ianto let out a quick, loud laugh. His expression softened again, and he smiled sheepishly up at Jack. He had already made the decision not to think too hard about what just occurred, when it had caused this rush of positive energy. He wasn't going to question it. But he was going to thank Jack… somehow.


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry everybody, I know this is a VERY short update compared to my previous chapters, but I had to make a choice between posting what I had, or making you wait even longer. I hope this satisfies my followers for a little while until I can continue. It occured to me I've missed out a fair few juicy little elements that could have been worked into the previous chapters, so flashbacks may have to occur. For now, you get this little snippet, set at the end of Greeks Bearing Gifts.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

_Not again, please God, not again..._

The moment Ianto's sense of loss loosened, it frightened him so intensely he was forced to collapse onto the Hub's sagging sofa before his knees could buckle and send him crumpled to the ground. Mary was gone, dead, Jack had killed her. She was Tosh's lover and she had been murdered. So what kind of person was he that he actually felt better within himself than he had for weeks?

The base was quiet. Tosh had long wandered home, Gwen and Owen taking the opportunity to leave too. There was nothing to say and uncomfortable silences weren't welcome in the workplace.

Jack had spent an hour walking along the seafront, salted air whipping at his coat as he stored this episode as the latest in a long line of incidents during which he had to hurt one of his team.

His mind drifted to the youngest member, the boy who had become somewhat of a comfort blanket to him. After that morning, the one that quietly cemented some new phase in their friendship, Ianto had surprised him with his reaction to the entire situation. Jack anticipated awkwardness, discomfort, avoidance of eye contact, an all-round unnecessary shyness – perhaps bordering on shame – that he would have found endearing and infuriating in equal measure.

But no. Ianto was calm, he was level-headed, and as his body healed, his smile became brighter. There hadn't been much time for their little talks during the past week of bursting peaks on the rift monitor, but a scattering of e-mails including health (physical and emotional) updates and little personal notes were exchanged.

Jack stopped where he was, able to see the light in the tourist information office dimly burning. He sighed and took a moment to feel the breeze, smell the air, enjoy this planet. Remember what he was fighting for. Then the memory of his most recent kiss with Ianto came to his mind, and set itself a place within his mind.

It was so astoundingly easy to spend time with Ianto. Easy to talk to him, to listen to his thoughts, even to just enjoy the taste of his lips without thinking about what it was they were doing, or feeling any overwhelming need to drag him to bed. It was just... simple. It was about forty-eight hours since Ianto had accompanied a steaming mug of coffee with not only two bourbons, but a lingering kiss. And the best part was, there seemed no reason for it, and Ianto clearly wasn't prepared to explain. He simple smiled, and left again. As if he had just felt the need for some kind of affectionate contact, one moment of it, before he could carry on. Jack couldn't claim it hadn't immeasurably brightened his day.

Since that precious morning, nothing beyond their few kisses had occurred – there hadn't been the time or the privacy – but Jack had to admit, he liked it. Damn his reputation to hell... there was nothing wrong with a slow build-up.

When he returned to the Hub, his heart light with the prospect of seeing Ianto alone, he was vaguely surprised to find the young man slumped into the sofa, a hand clutching his own nape, his brow knotted with worry. His mouth tilted upwards on Jack's arrival, but the smile didn't touch his eyes.

"Hey, Ianto" Jack said softly, approaching with caution.

"Hi Jack" Ianto replied, a coarse edge to his voice.

"Are... you okay?" the Captain placed his hand on a tense shoulder, gazing down with nothing but concern into Ianto's sky-blues.

"Can we go to your office? I know nobody is here, but..." Ianto shook his head slightly, his eyes widening briefly before his expression levelled out and became impassive.

"Sure" Jack murmured, frowning but not overly concerned. He thought he knew the signs reasonably well now, with Ianto. The mere fact that the young man was showing his emotions was a good thing, even if he didn't seem to know what to do with them.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

A longer chapter this time - sorry for short-changing you before! The chapters were all going to be standalone episode-by-episode stories but this one wants to drag itself out, so I'm just going to do whatever the muse allows me to.

I of course own nothing, sadly. I'd have made far less of a mess.

Still no smuttiness, this is more an outline for the relationship to follow. But soon, my pretties, soon.

* * *

Ianto stood and took the lead, shoving his hands deep into his pockets and bowing his head as he strode across the Hub and up the stairs. He didn't turn to make sure Jack was following him, didn't even take the time to listen – he was busy trying to get his words into the right order. He wasn't sure what he wanted Jack to do about anything he was about to say... he simply needed to say it.

Jack stepped in after Ianto and gently closed the door, shrugging off his greatcoat and draping it upon the stand without having to look.

"Sit" he murmured, waving one large hand in the direction of the more simplistic chair opposite his. Ianto fell into the seat with a distinct lack of grace. Jack watched him loosen his tie and swallow hard a couple of times before the young man would meet his eyes.

"Jack..."

"Ianto."

"I feel like shit."

"I gathered as much. Why?"

"Because of how it made me feel to know you intentionally killed Mary."

Jack leaned across the desk and glared at Ianto, an irrational voice threatening to spill from his mouth in argument – but something in Ianto's expression silenced it. He caught the impression that he wasn't here to lay blame.

"So how did it make you feel?"

"Like... a weight was lifted from me. Some of the anger. Some of the blame..."

Jack frowned, shaking his head slightly.

"Ianto, I don't-"

"Please, Jack, let me finish" Ianto interrupted, his voice irritated but his eyes pleading. His mouth hung open for a moment longer while he studied Jack's confused but intent expression.

"I hated you, Jack. You know that. The day Lisa was killed... properly killed... I was desperate, exhausted, I truly felt I had nothing left. I meant everything I said at the time, but I didn't hate you for long. Not when I realised you had to do what you did. But the blame was still there... I'm sorry Jack, but that doesn't go away so easily. That resentment... it's harder to shake off. Until today."

He stared into Jack's eyes as he talked, occasionally flitting his gaze about the room when the intensity of the connection forced him to. Jack was, as requested, silent as Ianto explained, his look unreadably tense.

"Today... I stopped feeling quite so sorry for myself. Like I was the only person in the world who's ever been punished for being in love, ever been hurt by somebody they trusted... I'm not even the only one who has had their lover killed in front of them, now. I suppose it's given me perspective."

He half-smiled at Jack, wishing he could have explained that better. Jack continued to stare into him, silent and barely blinking, until Ianto quietly said "I'm finished". Then the Captain sighed heavily and rubbed the bridge of his nose, all the while maintaining eye contact.

"Ianto, you're not the first employee I've damaged in some way, and you were never going to be the last" he murmured, speaking as it if was inevitable, as if it came with the job. Ianto supposed it did.

"I treat all of my team equally" he added, and a laugh tripped off Ianto's tongue before he could stop it. Jack looked startled, but the sound wasn't a bitter one. In fact, Ianto's expression was nothing less than genuinely amused.

"No you don't" he smiled, brows raised and bright eyes rid of the troubles that were there just one minute ago. "You don't treat us the same, Jack..."

Jack finally understood his meaning, and smiled back. True, he didn't offer the others the lingering looks he gave to Ianto, the tender kisses... he didn't take anybody else to his bed after a particularly gruelling mission, instead of simply sending them home to sleep it off. He didn't talk long into the night with anybody else. There was nobody else he would even want to talk that much with...

"You're right" he said, and his expression extended to a classic Harkness grin, complete with sparkling white teeth and radiating crow's feet. "I don't. There are some people's private company I enjoy more than others." He chuckled softly and raised his eyes to Ianto's hair, delightfully mussed-up from running his fingers through it a few too many times; his eyes, older than his years from all that he had seen; his pink lips, hiding behind them a sharp, cynical tongue.

"Do you like being treated differently?" he asked softly, bringing one hand up curl into a fist and rest his chin upon it, examining Ianto as if he were an especially interesting and appealing artefact.

"Is that the Jack Harkness way of asking if I want whatever it is to continue?" Ianto replied, folding his arms with a smirk. Jack laughed loudly, constantly surprised by the young man's omnipresent wit.

"Absolutely. It was that or come round there and kiss you into submission – I was feeling polite."

His smile softened, as did his gaze.

"So what DO you think this is?" he pondered aloud. Ianto glanced towards the ceiling as he continued to smile, as if physically looking up into his mind for the words.

"Mutual comfort?" he offered, with a one-sided shrug. "A little bit of normality amongst the rest of it all, perhaps. Something simple at the end of the day... that's how I see it."

"And I thought you twenty-first century kids were all about complications and demanding undying love before the first kiss!" Jack grinned, allowing his arms to slither off the desk as he leaned back in his seat.

"You must have us confused with a more frigid race" Ianto murmured, still smirking playfully. "I'm not going to ask anything of you, Jack. And I really could do without complications... I'd just like to start enjoying my life again."

His eyes slid down to the floor, smile drifting but not disappearing entirely. He could see Jack nodding slowly from the corner of his eye.

"As it should be. You're young, and you deserve to be happy. I'm... well, honoured to be a part of that."

Jack felt a gentle ache in his gut when Ianto raised his head once more, looking vulnerable yet strong. He was a true fighter, or he wouldn't be here now, making Jack want to capture both cheeks in his hands and match that probing stare close-up.

Ianto stood and instinctively straightened his waistcoat, though his tie still hung loose-knotted and tugged away from his wantonly open top button. Jack feared he was about to leave, until Ianto finally opened his mouth and muttered "come over here" in barely more than a whisper.

Jack stared at him for a split second before placing his palms upon the desk and drawing himself up, sliding around the desk until he was immediately in front of Ianto, matching his height and his penetrating gaze. Ianto raised his hands and placed them both upon Jack's ribcage, very gently pushing him until the Captain was resting comfortably against the edge of the desk and forced to gaze up at Ianto, a position he realised he had no qualms being in.

Ianto's fingers wandered upwards, one curling around Jack's throat, thumb tracing circles along his jawline, and the other sinking into the thick, neatly-trimmed brunette hair which covered the back of his head. Jack happily allowed him his silent exploration, loosely wrapping his own arms around Ianto's slender waist so as not to disturb him.

"You smell gorgeous" Jack whispered out of nowhere, barely realising he had spoken. Ianto blessed him with an achingly affectionate smile, before finally leaning down to meet Jack's mouth. Jack caressed back at Ianto's pace, letting him lead and deepen it when he felt the desire to. He tickled gently at the base of Ianto's spine through his clothing, feeling him lean closer in reply, revelling in the weight of him.

Ianto flicked his tongue across Jack's teeth with a mischievous desire, only to have it captured and taken prisoner by Jack's energetic lips. He laughed softly into the kiss, and it became infectious until it was impossible to kiss, giggle and breathe all at once. Their foreheads touched and the two men shared heavy breaths for a few moments, one of Jack's hands rising up Ianto's spine to grip his shoulder, both of Ianto's now cradling Jack's neck, his fingertips doing subtly wicked things.

He lightly nuzzled his nose against Jack's, and felt the Captain's breath catch in his throat for a moment.

"Are you going to send me home, like the others? Or am I different again, tonight?" Ianto whispered, Jack unconsciously parting his lips further to breathe in the young man's words.

"Oh, you have no idea how different you are" Jack sighed with wonder, squeezing Ianto's body closer to him as his mouth ghosted across a cheekbone until it reached Ianto's ear.

"Come with me, Mr. Jones" he breathed.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

I know, it's been two months, I'm so sorry. I haven't had the motivation to write this, for two reasons. One, my Muse has been eluding me, the little minx. Two, the more I read of Torchwood fanfiction the more I dislike fan culture and the various ways in which Jack and Ianto's relationship is repeatedly misread. It's not even a matter of opinion, it's hard fact if you know the characters at all. Which, apparently, a LOT of people don't. But I suppose it's the same in any fandom. It makes me want to write the story properly and not write it at all in equal measure.

But today it just came to me, and I enjoyed it. Re-reading the first two chapters, I'm no longer especially happy with them, so they might get altered, I haven't decided whether it's worth it yet.

Lots of flashbacks in this one, to solidify my views on this relationship. Oh, and some smut. I don't think it needs to be M rated though, it's not very explicit.

Enjoy!

* * *

Ianto had barely slipped his foot from the last rung of the ladder before Jack turned him around by his shoulders and continued their kiss, with just a little more ferocity than before. He slid his palms upwards to cup the Captain's shoulderblades and willed himself to simply get lost in the sensation, a moment of calm and tenderness in a life that didn't allow for much of it. And in Torchwood, you could never tell how long you'd have for anything.

_Jack had been angry with himself. Filled to the brim with agonising rage and hatred directed at his own stupidity. He'd lost all sense of professionalism with the shock of it – emotion let loose, a vengeful side that clawed its way out of his throat and ordered Ianto to execute his lover. How he loathed himself, for not bothering to get to know the young man well enough. For letting this happen right under his nose, in HIS home. So little of his aggression was meant for Ianto – so much of it absorbed, to brood upon for nights to come._

_He should have known. He should have seen it in the boy's face. He should have spent more time wondering why Ianto Jones was so very desperate to work for Torchwood. It was never just because he had too much knowledge in his head, he realised too late. That could be cured easily with Retcon, which he would have willingly given. But 'should have' never gets a person anywhere beyond grief. _

_Torchwood Three had never run so smoothly as it did before Ianto Jones joined. The young man did his job with impeccable speed and precision, whilst doing everything to keep out of the way. It seemed perfect, as laughable as having an administrator within their small team had once appeared. The fact that he was exceedingly handsome was not lost on Jack, but he admired from afar. The young man seemed altogether too fragile, despite his stature and solid figure with a stoic mask to match. That mixture kept Jack from pursuing him in any personal way; he didn't seem the type of person to open up even if pushed (ESPECIALLY if pushed). Instead he allowed the man to get on with his job and looked on with interest, curious as to how Ianto might develop._

_Then Lisa happened. Poor, misguided Ianto. So much effort and pain for a cause that was lost the second the Cybermen strapped the love of his life's screaming form into the conversion unit. Once Jack's anger had subsided, that was his constant thought. Stupid boy, thinking that Torchwood could solve everything..._

_Then, he came back. Dangerously broken, he returned, nowhere else to go. Rather here, where he'd lost the trust of his colleagues, than out there amongst strangers who'd never understand._

_It was that strength which drew Jack to him. Ianto was far stronger than Jack would have been at his age, in those circumstances, and he was just a twenty-first century boy. Except he wasn't JUST anything. As it transpired, he was worlds away from 'just'._

Jack hooked his index fingers around the belt loops slung low around Ianto's hips, tugging him towards his bunk. His breath ghosted against Ianto's lips, their foreheads still pressed together as they shuffled in tandem to the warm invitation of a bed. They fell with an awkward thud and a slightly winded laugh, in that same position they had found themselves in as Myfanwy lay unconscious next to them. Only this time, the the tentative brushing of noses and sharing of breath evolved into the kiss that might have occured back then - had Ianto been a different kind of man.

_The three outfits he chose to stalk Captain Jack Harkness in were mulled over with precision and forethought. Knowing TW3's stance on TW1 having thoroughly done his research, Ianto's only chance was to monpolise Jack's omnisexuality and flirt his way in. He was sure the awkwardness of his attempts were crystal clear to a man like Jack, which was where that absolute gem of a dinosaur came in._

_As Jack landed on him, his first thoughts were of the pain in his probably-bruised shoulderblades at the onslaught of twelve stone or so dropping on him from a height. His next thought, as they rolled together and laughed over the sheer ridiculousnes of the situation, was that he wasn't supposed to want to kiss Jack Harkness. That wasn't part of the plan. Get in and make yourself invisible - those were his personal guidelines. Anxiety had set in as he stared at the man beneath him, who was clearly in no rush to move, and he fled with tears in his eyes. Tears of relief, confusion, and fear for what would happen once Lisa was well and they had to run._

_He became part of the furniture. Too efficient to ever cause a problem, therefore it was rarely necessary for anybody to speak to him for long periods of time. He was included in the meetings, undoubtedly only because he brought the coffee and/or food and it would seem ungrateful to send him out again, but orders only applied to him if they were do to with the organisation surrounding the mission._

_It was perfect. He knew that Jack's gaze lingered upon him sometimes, and the banter they exchanged was often flirtatious. On his less distracted days, Ianto's wit would shine for brief moments and the Captain would laugh and rub his shoulder, but that was the extent of their contact. Ianto realised that despite Jack's reputation, he was a man driven by his job, which he seemed to treat as his duty - as if he owed the world something. The man flirted (and spoke of his past exploits) freely but following up on it was something different and surprisingly private. Flirting made people relax, made them feel good, and it made Jack feel good too; not to mention that he often used it to bargain for things he needed. _

_Despite himself, Ianto's respect for him grew, and he realised that they were not so different. He had sweet-talked and stalked his way into TW3 and in some twisted way, he supposed that Jack respected him in turn for that reason. Perhaps that was why he never actively tried to bed him. _

_It was a shame that Jack would one day hate and possibly hunt him._

_And then it happened. And then Lisa was dead. And Ianto didn't think he could hate anybody or anything as much as he hated Captain Jack Harkness._

_He had been wrong after all. Much as he appeared to try to keep a hold on his humanity, Jack had no heart after all. _

_Ianto went through every emotion possibly once he left the Hub. That hatred ran ahead, gratefully masking the despair that screamed in his veins. All of that work, time, effort, expense, and love... for nothing. He hated Jack, he hated the creature Lisa had become, and he absolutely loathed himself. _

_But after an indefinable stretch of time, there was relief. It was over, that constant anxiety that Lisa would be found, the fear that she would never be human again, and the ache low in his gut caused by the omnipresent lie that he surrounded himself with. He hadn't realised quite how much he had been carrying, even during the sleepless nights when all he could think about was his mission, and he allowed himself to wallow in what a terrible person he was. Then there was the relief that it would be over entirely soon, because Jack was going to Retcon or kill him. He didn't know when and it didn't matter. _

_But nothing happened. Instead, he slipped into his suit and his role, and numbly went back to work. And the underlying acceptance and forgiveness in Jack's otherwise defensive expression nearly knocked Ianto to his knees._

Ianto slipped Jack's red braces down his arms and untucked his shirts, sliding his hands over smooth stomach muscles and up over his ribs, quickly becoming used to the feel of another man's body. The hot embrace in which he found himself was sensual and comfortable, and Jack's gender really didn't factor into his thought process. For once, Ianto just allowed things to happen. He now knew from personal experience that planning every detail of one's life and being prepared for unusual situations was overrated. Besides which, it rarely worked.

Jack clasped his arms around Ianto's waist and rolled him over, pressing him down as he shed his own shirts completely and went about unbuttoning Ianto. Ianto watched his fingers deftly slip every little plastic disc through its hole, noting that Jack had left his polka-dot tie until last. When he slid that silk from the collar, he did so with an obvious relish that Ianto couldn't help but smile at. He supposed taking away his suit was symbolic to Jack, and he was going to enjoy it.

Jack ran his fingers through the light sprinkling of chest hair on Ianto's torso and leaned in to kiss his flushed throat, each peck punctuated by a murmured word.

"So... Ianto... is this... going... to require... a court... case?" he asked, licking softly behind the young man's ear. Ianto ran his hands down Jack's back and stopped them at taut buttocks, pulling him closer to press their still-covered groins together.

"We may be a little past that, Captain. I'd have a hard time proving I was taken advantage of" he replied in a low and husky voice. Jack's confidence was infectious, it seemed. The older man laughed, unable to hold off from working his way into Ianto's trousers any longer.

"We'll just see about that" he whispered with a wink, and with a quick parting kiss he slid with ease down the narrow bed, taking Ianto's trousers with him and shedding his own. Before Ianto was able to form a coherent thought through the haze of his overly aroused mind, Jack had hooked one of his legs over his shoulder and devoured his cock with the zeal of a starved man. Ianto let out a startled grunt and arched deeper into the silken tunnel of Jack's skilled mouth.

Jack's hunger to please had Ianto undone quickly, breathing heavily and moaning his appreciation as he rocked his hips. Jack felt the toes of Ianto's right foot curl and dig into his back. His own cock ached ferociously; it turned him on even more than he thought it would, forcibly removing Ianto's mask entirely like this. As soon as he swallowed the young man into his throat he knew that he had won, Ianto's hands finally migrating from gripping at the sheets to sinking into his hair with an unchecked growl of pleasure.

Ianto came with the same kind of relief he'd felt when Jack touched him tenderly under the covers that morning. The power of a good orgasm from a good friend was infinite in their line of work, he mused, coming down slowly from the high while Jack licked him clean.

The mattress shifted and Jack laid himself silently next to Ianto, his left side pressed against him all the way down the too-small bed. He turned his head, prompting his breathless colleague to do the same, and smiled at him. In that single expression Ianto saw a glimpse of Jack's loneliness, and all of his gratefulness that he wasn't alone.

_It reminded him of the look he had given him after the incident with the fairies, when everybody else had gone home outraged with Jack's choices. Ianto knew the story - what he hadn't heard on the comm's had been regailed to him through seething whispers from the others, who had only ice-stone stares and disdain for Jack._

_Ianto took a coffee to his office, vaguely enjoying as he always did the sound of his own steady footsteps through the otherwise empty Hub. Jack's fingers were locked and his chin resting atop them when Ianto entered without knocking. He placed the mug on the desk and stood in front of it with his hands in his pockets, waiting for Jack to look up at him. When he finally did, Ianto ensured he was offering his most sympathetic and supportive smile, and he watched as Jack's frown broke. He didn't need to speak to say that Jack had done the right thing, and that the others would get over it. And, more than that, that he would get over Estelle's death in time._

_"Will that be all, Sir?" he asked softly. He watched Jack swallow hard and struggle for words; something he had never seen the Captain suffer with. _

_"Yes... thank you, Ianto." he replied, one corner of his mouth twitching slightly as he cradled his coffee mug tenderly. "Thanks" he repeated, and Ianto departed quietly with a final nod._

"Turn over" Ianto said before his breath had even fully returned. Jack raised his eyebrows with a patented Harkness smirk and Ianto snorted slightly.

"Not what you think, Jack" he muttered.

"You're never what I think" Jack retorted, doing as he was told and resting on his front, laying his head on his crossed arms and shifting his hips until his uncomfortably hard cock wasn't so crushed.

Jack was more than a little surprised when what he felt next was smooth, strong hands grasping his shoulders and gradually working out the knots. He smiled against his forearm and relaxed.

This was something Ianto knew he could do. Jack's urge to comfort him was mutual; they really did have more in common than Ianto would ever have predicted once, from the aching chasm of loneliness they each felt to the desire to make the other feel better about their own.

He didn't say any of it, but he thought that Jack was perceptive enough (certainly since he learnt the hard way to pay attention to Ianto's expressions and moods even through his mask) to realise why they had fallen together like this. The more he got to know Jack, the more he wished the man had something to keep him warm at night. For as long as that person was him, he was glad that they could share it and perhaps gradually be healed by it. Maybe in the future they would each pair off with somebody normal, as ridiculous as that seemed. All Ianto knew was that he didn't want to be alone.

Jack groaned beneath him as Ianto forced a kinked muscle back into shape with his thumb. A good massage always hurt, but it was worth it. He worked his way down Jack's broad back and paid special attention to the base of his spine, dropping a few kisses as he went. When eventually he stopped Jack was liquid, half conscious and had wriggled until he was partially on his side.

As Ianto curled around his back, his left hand crept over Jack's hip to grasp his still-hard cock, and stroked it lazily whilst kissing Jack's nape.

"Ianto" Jack whispered, left from that massage feeling as if he was suspended in water. The pressure in his groin bit deep once more as Ianto's firm grip repeatedly covered his cock, his thumb swiping at the tip every time. Ianto twisted his wrist the way he enjoyed doing to himself and Jack arched against him, his breath quickening between soft moans until he tensed finally and the last strains of pressure left within his body rushed away.

Ianto left his arm slung over Jack's hip as he listened to his breath even out again, pressing a final kiss to his neck before he sighed heavily.

"Y'alright?" Jack muttered, relishing the unusual sensation of being exhausted enough to fall deeply asleep.

"Yep. You?"

"Very."

"Good. Night, Jack."

"Goodnight, sleep tight, don't let the-"

"Shut up Jack, don't even joke about bed bugs biting, we work for Torchwood."

"Oh there was this race out on Bravura, insectoid but beautiful, and they know how to bite in a pleasing way, let me tell-"

"Go to sleep, Jack."

"M'kay."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Hello lovely people! I didn't really have any ideas for this chapter (except for what they do with the stopwatch), but I sat down today and just spent four hours writing and writing until I ended up with this. This is set during They Keep Killing Suzie, obviously. And it's technically **M-rated**, so be warned for full mansex. And by warned, I mean excited.

I clearly don't own anything, blah blah. _Please review!_

* * *

The day Suzie Costello returned to the land of the living was one that would remain etched into Jack Harkness' memory for a very large portion of his long life. Suzie herself wasn't the main reason for that, and neither was the frantic race to stop that second-hand bullet from slicing deeper and deeper through Gwen's brain. It was the things that Jack learned about Ianto Jones which he would carry around with him.

It was in Ianto's purred comments about that well-loved stopwatch in the midst of the painful chaos of dragging corpses back to life, words that sank into Jack's skin and while he fought to stop himself reacting, he felt the young man's smirk burn into him as Jack leaned over the autopsy table.

It was in the brilliant dexterity with which Ianto found them a phone signal, shrugging nonchalantly as he explained that he'd simply used the water tower as a relay – something even Tosh hadn't thought of. Jack had let his gaze linger on him in that moment, and his simple utterance of "nice work, Ianto" was filled with a sufficient degree of awe.

When it came down to it Ianto was cool in a crisis, despite previous evidence to the contrary, far more intelligent than his modesty would ever allow him to truly show, and, as it turned out, a gigantic flirt.

Jack was feeling weary and ashamed as he strode through the morgue towards Ianto with his hands shoved deep into his pockets. He'd let Suzie down – again – and now a young man who had more experience filling out death certificates than anybody ever should was clearing up his mess for him. As far as he knew, the regenerated Suzie and Ianto hadn't even spoken. Come to think of it, Suzie and Ianto had barely said ten words to each other in their entire time as colleagues. He supposed it was little wonder that the young man was now scribbling down her details with a formal and detached manner about him.

"Thanks for doing this" Jack murmured, glancing at the white bodybag that once again housed his late teammate. Ianto glanced at him, mildly surprised.

"Part of my job, sir" he explained.

"No, I should be doing it" Jack replied, offering no excuse as to why he wasn't. He sighed heavily, and leaned against the drawers which contained everybody he had ever worked alongside at Torchwood. At least those who had ended up with bodies to contain. "One day we're going to run out of space."

Ianto thought carefully about his next words. His comfort in Jack's company grew by the day, as did his acceptance of their newly intimate friendship. He had begun to think of special little things to do for him, small things such as the occasional flavoured oil in his coffee (the hint of orange had made him groan obscenely and throw his head back as if in ecstasy), paying closer attention to the organisation of his desk and the upkeep of his coat. It wasn't that he was trying to prove anything – far from it – it was a desire to make every day just a little easier for a man who suffered behind the brilliant grin. Ianto knew the feeling well enough, and the small but heartfelt smiles he was offered in reply to his little kindnesses had the same effect on himself. They made his life seem just a little more tranquil.

"If you're interested…" he began, finding Jack's solemn face, "I've still got that stopwatch."

Jack was predictably blank for a moment. "So?"

Ianto smirked. "Well, think about it… lots of things you can do with a stopwatch."

Jack thought about it for a second, his natural inclination to smut kicking in and overriding the ache in his soul the day had caused. "Oh yeah" he chuckled, flashing his teeth. "I can think of a few."

"There's quite a list" Ianto said softly, his eyes heavy-lidded and warm. Jack was at once ludicrously turned on and deliriously grateful to the young man for knowingly offering a distraction.

"I'll send the others home early, see you in my office in…" he checked his watch, "ten."

"That's ten minutes…" _click_ "and counting."

Ianto could have kicked himself as his words about the glove caused Jack to lose his smile and form a deep frown of concern, but still the Captain walked quickly to his office and still Ianto finished the certificate and filed Suzie away as quickly and efficiently as possible.

"Right on time" Jack beamed as Ianto slid gracefully through his office door.

"Four seconds late actually, sir" Ianto replied with an exaggerated puppy-dog look of apology. It had the desired effect – Jack laughed, rising from his chair and moving around the desk, perching on the edge with his feet crossed and reaching to take Ianto's hand. He played with those fine-boned fingers as Ianto stood in front of him with his jacket open, other hand in his pocket, drawing Jack's eye to below the belt.

"So… you called me 'captain' today… you've never called me that before" Jack began in a soft, seductive drawl as he tickled Ianto's palm.

Ianto blinked slowly as his smile grew, eyelashes throwing shadows across his cheekbones in the low light.

"It seemed like one of those ego-boost moments. You were looking so helpless with the Hub in lockdown that I thought you needed it."

"You took pity on me?" Jack raised his eyebrows.

"If you want to word it like that, sir."

"That's another thing… we're back to sir. Now, I'd like to think that it's not out of any kind of discomfort…" Jack trailed off, a smile playing on his lips though his concern showed in his eyes.

"No Jack, it's not."

"Well, the other option is that you're just being a cocktease…"

Ianto laughed and rolled his eyes simultaneously, lightly kicking Jack's feet apart so he could stand between his legs, whilst removing his free hand from his pocket to slide it up Jack's arm.

"It worked, then" he murmured, voice quiet and rough, giving Jack the almost tangible sensation of sinking into warm gravel.

Jack felt a fresh bolt of lust flood his body and he grabbed Ianto's hips, pulling him flush against him.

"You know it did" he growled back, and reaching up to run his fingers through the short hair at the back of Ianto's neck, he pulled him in for a searing kiss.

* * *

"Eight seconds. Eight seconds to tie a simple Windsor knot? You're slipping."

"You have to allow time for perfection" Ianto argued, one last sweep of his thumb smoothing the final crease in the loop.

"You need more practice."

"I'm used to tying it around a _neck_."

"Hey, this was your idea…"

"It suits you."

"And only you would know it was there."

"Do you want it tightened a little?"

"No, no, it's fine as it is… I've always appreciated the intimate caress of silk."

"It is… quite something" Ianto replied, admiring his work. "Shame it's dry clean only."

"So you wouldn't want me to get this dirty…"

"I don't know… might be worth it."

"It seems to be tightening a little by itself."

"Extraordinary, sir."

Jack laughed an utterly filthy laugh, his face aglow and his hair in more angles than Ianto had ever seen it. Their games had started reasonably innocently, timing a kiss without the need to separate (Jack cheated), how long it took to undress (Jack cheated), and it spiralled from there as they took their activities down into Jack's bedroom. The captain continued to cheat.

Now Ianto knelt above Jack's prone form as he slowly wound the silky tapered half of his tie around the length of Jack's erection and using both hands, began to stroke. Jack sighed contentedly, watching the graceful hands work, allowing pleasure to unfurl from the warm pit deep in his abdomen.

"What exactly _is _it about the button on the top?" he asked, idly stroking Ianto's thighs and hissing softly as the fabric rubbed relentlessly at the ultra-sensitive tip of his profusely weeping cock.

Ianto smiled before looking into Jack's eyes. "It's the way it yields to the pressure of the thumb with such a satisfying _click_" he replied in a purr, squeezing ever so slightly.

"Wow" Jack whispered.

"What?"

"Even I've never come across _that_ fetish before…"

"You will soon" Ianto replied, fighting the urge to snigger. Jack laughed again, the sound only cut off by a groan when Ianto's hands began to twist in opposite directions.

"Jesus, Ianto" Jack bit out, the motion becoming tighter and faster. He fought to keep his eyesight in focus as the glossy friction of shimmering burgundy silk threatened to take him over the edge.

"It's always the quiet ones… sir" Ianto murmured with a leer so disarming, Jack involuntarily arched his back and let out a long yell of absolute relief.

Ianto calmly loosened the knot and dropped the stained silk onto the floor, cleaning them both up with a tissue before Jack had even opened his eyes. His efficiency could have been seen as cold, if not for the pink flush that covered Ianto's cheeks and throat, his overly wide pupils, and over-engorged cock.

Eventually Jack's eyes slid open again and he stared at Ianto with a blissed-out grin.

"How do you think of these things, Jones?" his voice came out in a slightly cracked rumble before he licked his dry lips.

"It's a gift" Ianto glibly replied, his normally bright blue eyes darker than Jack had ever had the privilege to see. He quickly sat up, wrapping his arms around Ianto's back so as not to make him lose his balance, rubbing his lips against the young man's shoulder and neck. Ianto let himself be held, feeling Jack's scent sink into his skin with invisible tendrils. His own hands came up to gently caress the captain's spine, as much exploring as wanting to please.

"How do you feel about taking… this… a little further, Ianto?" Jack whispered, punctuating the question with a wide-tongued lick over his Adam's apple. Ianto had noticed before that Jack used his name more than most people did in conversation. He supposed it was part of the charm, making the person he was talking to feel special, feel like they held his attention. And it worked.

"Yes", was all he said. All of this was new, and that was perfect for him. Different was what he longed for, newness, nothing that reminded him of something else. Besides – it was exciting. He didn't fear Jack. Jack knew how to please, so anything that he could show him, he would enjoy; of that Ianto was certain. He wanted the comfort, the singular attention, and to feel _reborn_. Being alone with Jack gave him some kind of meaning again, and Jack clearly cared for him. He had never made a secret of it.

Jack inwardly grinned like a Cheshire cat, trailing kisses around Ianto's ear and down again, until he reached his mouth once more. To say that he'd never thought about fucking Ianto Jones would be a lie. To say he hadn't thought about it even more since they'd started these private stress-relief sessions would be a whopper. Ianto was stunning, a generous lover, and he made him laugh whilst his intelligence kept him rapt. He'd driven Ianto to madness with his tongue and his fingers, but now he wanted to show him the true delight two men could give to each other. The thought made him shiver and hold Ianto's lean frame more tightly, the young man being extremely patient though his cock throbbed against Jack's stomach.

Ianto cleared his throat, a fluttering of nerves appearing in his consciousness.

"Be gentle with me, yeah? I've never had sex with another man before" he said in a low and earnest tone. Jack simply kissed him in reply, a deep and sensual kiss that he hoped illustrated his ability to be gentle. The revelation excited him immeasurably. He'd _assumed_ Ianto had never fucked another man, but he had no proof. The young man had a remarkably free approach to sex and he learned quickly by throwing himself into the moment. Whilst reserved at work, the mask came off along with his suit in the evening.

Feeling himself harden, Jack made a decision and broke the kiss, smiling at Ianto's decadently ruffled expression.

"Oh, Ianto… in my experience, you learn best by _doing_" he whispered lasciviously, falling backwards into the pillows once more and taking Ianto with him, adjusting their legs until Ianto was lying between his thighs.

Ianto quirked an eyebrow but he asked no unnecessary questions. He wasn't a man to waste words and if this was the way Jack wanted it, Ianto would comply. He pushed himself up on his palms and brushed his fingertips down Jack's chest, lower and lower until he grasped Jack's cock and stroked it firmly to full hardness. Jack bit back a groan and reached blindly under the pillow for the tube he knew he'd find there, batting Ianto's hand from his cock and pressing the lubricant into his palm.

"No need to be too gentle" he smirked. Ianto suddenly felt the pressure of having to please, especially for a man like Jack Harkness, who'd undoubtedly experienced pleasures Ianto couldn't even comprehend. He felt quite small and vastly inexperienced in comparison, and Jack caught the faltering look in his lust-blown eyes.

"Give me your hand" he murmured softly. Ianto drew up his knees for stability, and obeyed. Jack took the pale digits in his, removing the tube too and without words, coated Ianto's middle finger in a gel that warmed to the touch, leading it between his parted thighs. Ianto swallowed hard as Jack's tight body accepted the invasion, and he pressed up to the knuckle. Jack sighed happily which Ianto took as permission, and he moved his finger experimentally, watching Jack's face as he did. His lips spread into a perpetually dreamy smile that showed off his dimples, and he nodded his approval.

"Try another finger" he said, helping Ianto to apply more lubricant first. Ianto curled the two fingers in a tentative come-hither motion that had Jack's pelvis jolting upwards.

"There… just there, Ianto" he gasped, followed by a helpless chuckle when the young man rubbed that spot a little harder. "I'm starting to think you put some research into this" he teased, goosebumps rising across his torso.

"That's only just occurred to you?" Ianto asked, raising a brow. "I should be insulted…"

Jack threw his head back and laughed loudly.

"You've got a perfect balance of acquired knowledge and natural tal-" he was cut off as a third finger breached him, and he was vaguely aware of Ianto's smug smile.

"That's enough" Jack growled, tugging at Ianto's wrist and pulling him down on top of him once more. "Let's try this, for now… I want to watch you" he grinned.

"Jack, I need…"

"I'm clean."

"Definitely?"

"Definitely." Jack wasn't going to go into the reasons why he couldn't get ill, or be a carrier, though he had wondered many times whether Ianto already knew through extensive research and his time spent in the archives about Jack's immortal state. Beneath Ianto's probing gaze, he decided that yes, he must know. A man so fastidious about so many elements of his life would never have unprotected sex, let alone with someone like Jack.

"Me too" Ianto finally said, and Jack snaked his hand between them to place the head of Ianto's solid cock at the slick bud of his arsehole.

Maintaining eye contact, Ianto slowly surged forwards, watching Jack's eyelids flicker and his lips part as he slid through the first tight ring of muscle until he was buried deep. It felt incredible, and he was powerful, holding dominion over Jack's pleasure and now feeling oddly confident that he could grant it.

Jack raised his hips to encourage Ianto to move, and so he moved, building up a slow rocking rhythm that soon had Jack arching every time he pushed in to the hilt. They kept their eyes on each other, breath becoming laboured until Jack _needed_ to kiss and slid his tongue between Ianto's soft lips. Ianto's whole body shifted with the force of Jack pulling him further down and his angle changed, forcing a shocked groan out of Jack at his next thrust.

"More" he demanded, and Ianto fought to repeatedly rub that ultra-sensitive place even as he shook with his own overwhelming pleasure. Jack's groans fell shamelessly from his lips, fingers grasping at Ianto's back and smooth buttocks as he attempted to pull him in deeper. Ianto raised his head with a long keening cry of desperation, a fine sheen of sweat illuminating his young face. He'd never looked more appealing to the man writhing beneath him.

"Can't… hold on… Jack" Ianto gasped, beginning to lose the tenuous grip he had on his restraint and plunging in with increasing strength, shoving the captain hard into the mattress.

Jack finally grasped his own aching cock in a sweaty palm and pumped at a ragged pace, growling "don't stop" through his teeth. Ianto threw his head back, his eyes tightly closed and mouth hanging open in rapture, and the sight pushed Jack into orgasm with a strangled cry of Ianto's name torn from his throat.

Jack's single regret was that he wasn't lucid enough in that moment to fully enjoy Ianto's complete loss of control as he followed suit and came deep inside Jack's body, but he was aware of the loud and utterly helpless string of groans, the spasming of his muscles and the throb of his cock as it erupted. And afterwards, the hot weight of a man who could no longer hold himself up, heavy breath against his neck, and a gorgeous scent of sex heavy in the air.

Laughter bubbled up in Jack and he couldn't help himself. He laughed until Ianto had regained the strength to push himself up on his hands once more and raise that single perfect eyebrow at him, then he laughed harder at his expression, before falling silent with a grin.

"Something funny, Jack?" Ianto asked in a voice made rough than usual by his growls of pleasure, carefully extricating himself from his lover's body until they were side-by-side with their legs tied in knots.

"Nothing at all" the captain beamed. "Just… extremely _pleasing_" he explained, pushing the short sweaty curls of Ianto's normally perfect hair away from his forehead. "How are you feeling?"

"Good, thank you" Ianto replied, the glaze in his eyes clearing slightly as he graced Jack with a genuine smile. "You?"

"Sensational" Jack replied in a light-hearted sigh. "You should sleep."

Ianto didn't need to be told twice. Exhaustion took him as if on cue and he snuffled his face into the pillow beneath his head. Jack watched him for a while, admiring his innocently contented face before he deftly and silently gave them both a quick clean. Then he pulled a blanket over them both and continued to act as guardian, thinking about what other delights he had to show Ianto and what other surprised Ianto would bestow on him. Shifting slightly, something hard and cold prodded into his ribs and he jerked away from it to reveal Ianto's stopwatch lying innocently beneath him. Jack smiled.

_He really is quite extraordinary._


End file.
